That was exactly one week earlier in Port Charlotte, when Colabello went 0 for 3.

Since then, amid a dizzying blur of bus trips and late-inning cameos, the 30-year-old journeyman had been impossible to retire -- literally.

In 10 plate appearances heading into Sunday's game against Philadelphia, Colabello had reached base every time.

That included a three-hit game Friday at Bradenton against Pittsburgh. It also included a three-walk game Tuesday across the state in Jupiter.

Minnesota's Chris Colabello celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a single by Eric Fryer off a pitch by Chicago White Sox starting pitcher John Danks during the second inning Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

"I saw a couple tweets saying I had hits in my last four at-bats," Colabello said.

He knew better.

"Ted Williams would know," he said, smiling again.

The streak ended Sunday with a fly to right in the eighth inning against the Phillies, but Colabello still leads the Twins with a combined on-base/slugging percentage of 1.226 this spring.

A dream season in 2013 ended with a dose of frustration for the former independent-league lifer as the strikeouts began to pile up at an alarming rate in September.

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Colabello struggled through a four-week stint in the Dominican Republic and then strongly considered a lucrative offer to play in the Korean Baseball Organization. In the end, he opted to stick with the Twins and continue chasing his dream.

Advised by the Twins to cut down some of the extraneous movements in his swing, Colabello experienced a cosmic breakthrough of sorts upon returning home to Massachusetts right after TwinsFest.

"About three weeks before camp, something really clicked," he said. "I felt some good stuff happen."

For that, he credits both longtime batting coach Bobby Tewksbary and Oakland A's third baseman Josh Donaldson, another of Tewksbary's clients.

When the A's and Twins played a total of seven times last September, Colabello made sure to watch Donaldson closely, especially as he took batting practice. There was a "quiet confidence" in Donaldson's actions that resonated with Colabello.

Tewksbary flew to Oakland to watch the Twins' final road series of the year. The trio had "a little powwow," Colabello said, and those talks continued through the offseason.

"I think we talk very similarly about hitting," Colabello said of Donaldson. "He's got some big moves (in his swing). I think it's a testament to him, his ability to control them and certainly to have the year he did last year. I think even mentally he's taught me a lot about how to handle things."

Donaldson, 28, moved from catcher to third base and enjoyed a breakout season in 2013.The former supplemental first-round pick out of Auburn hit 24 homers, registered an .883 combined on-base/slugging percentage and finished fourth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.